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Richard Stallman Explains [video]

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Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#81
post #54

Ever since I listened to this episode of the Linux Action Show [0] I can't take RMS serious anymore. He bases everything he believes on one assumption he doesn't dare to argue himself: "Proprietary software is evil." That is it. When you attack his values and stances, he falls back to that sentence. When you argue: But aren't you restricting freedom when you would keep a creator from sharing his software under his ow…

"When you argue: But aren't you restricting freedom when you would keep a creator from sharing his software under his own terms?" I hope you're aware that this is the oldest argument in the book. It literally goes back to Plato and arguments about how you can be free if you're not free to make other people slaves.

Your argument: Not giving away what you wrote for free under the terms dictated by Richard Stallman is literally slavery.

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#82
post #62
post #54

Ever since I listened to this episode of the Linux Action Show [0] I can't take RMS serious anymore. He bases everything he believes on one assumption he doesn't dare to argue himself: "Proprietary software is evil." That is it. When you attack his values and stances, he falls back to that sentence. When you argue: But aren't you restricting freedom when you would keep a creator from sharing his software under his ow…

Freedom of users is more important than freedom of vendor. That's because users are the society, the citizens, everyone in fact. So defending the freedom of the creator to sharing software under her own terms is way less important than defending the freedom of users.

The only freedom of the three freedoms that applies to users (almost nobody is a developer!) is the freedom to redistribute .

So it is basically about the freedom to copy someone else's work without compensation.

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#83
post #54

Ever since I listened to this episode of the Linux Action Show [0] I can't take RMS serious anymore. He bases everything he believes on one assumption he doesn't dare to argue himself: "Proprietary software is evil." That is it. When you attack his values and stances, he falls back to that sentence. When you argue: But aren't you restricting freedom when you would keep a creator from sharing his software under his ow…

"When you argue: But aren't you restricting freedom when you would keep a creator from sharing his software under his own terms?" I hope you're aware that this is the oldest argument in the book. It literally goes back to Plato and arguments about how you can be free if you're not free to make other people slaves.

The best metaphor I have ever seen to understand why proprietary software is evil.

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#84
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ALL software does this. If it works, I might as well have let someone else do the waiting. If it doesn't, then It requires a few hours mindlessly running around until you find some stupid flag that was set. Which I might as well leave to somebody else to do. That this is the state of software is a pretty damn good thing, that most of it has become busywork. But its still busywork and I don't why I'd ever want to do i…

I wouldn't consider it busywork. You don't have to sit and wait for the progress bar to move. Start the installation and go for lunch.

That's if the installer is designed well and all the questions are front-loaded. Unfortunately not all installers are... Heck, I think it took Microsoft until Windows Vista to do it for the OS.

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"When you argue: But aren't you restricting freedom when you would keep a creator from sharing his software under his own terms?" I hope you're aware that this is the oldest argument in the book. It literally goes back to Plato and arguments about how you can be free if you're not free to make other people slaves.

Your argument: Not giving away what you wrote for free under the terms dictated by Richard Stallman is literally slavery.

Yes, because you becomes dependent of the good will of the seller if you encounter bugs, limitations, incompatible hardware or if the OS updates in incompatible ways.

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"When you argue: But aren't you restricting freedom when you would keep a creator from sharing his software under his own terms?" I hope you're aware that this is the oldest argument in the book. It literally goes back to Plato and arguments about how you can be free if you're not free to make other people slaves.

Your argument: Not giving away what you wrote for free under the terms dictated by Richard Stallman is literally slavery.

[deleted]

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#87
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Freedom of users is more important than freedom of vendor. That's because users are the society, the citizens, everyone in fact. So defending the freedom of the creator to sharing software under her own terms is way less important than defending the freedom of users.

The only freedom of the three freedoms that applies to users (almost nobody is a developer!) is the freedom to redistribute . So it is basically about the freedom to copy someone else's work without compensation.

I think that everybody should be a developer and that programing should be far more easier. Why programming languages are so tricky ?

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#89
post #4

I was amazed to see that Stallman doesn't install his OS himself - hasn't for years. He seemed diminished in my eyes after I learnt this.

Stallman reminds me of a king who has everything done by servants and knows only what his courtiers tell him. Being free of menial tasks like installing software leaves him more time to tackle serious issues. But it also insulates him from the problems that real people face.

This phenomenon was described beautifully by Czechoslovakia President Václav Havel in 1991; he called it “power unto death”:

https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/vl/notes/havel.html

Re: Richard Stallman Explains [video]

#90
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most-used operating system in the world has a Linux kernel. But, it might not be in front of you...except when you're checking email, waiting in line, playing Angry Birds, making a photograph, or checking up on Facebook.

> except when you're checking email, waiting in line, playing Angry Birds, making a photograph, or checking up on Facebook. You've just proved his point more than you ever wanted. > checking email On the (probably) proprietary Mail or Gmail app. > waiting in line On the (probably) proprietary app for whichever thing you're staying in line for. > playing Angry Birds ... > making a photograph ... > or checking up on Fa…

Given your sense of fatalism about this, I assume you don’t spend your free time building OSS apps for mobile platforms?
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